Local program uses yoga to aid veteran recovery
GUILDERLAND, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Military service members see and experience things that most of us can only imagine. It can make it difficult for veterans to find support when they return home. A local program has found a unique way for veterans to help themselves and each other.
Inside the Hot Yoga spot at Stuyvesant Plaza may not be the first setting that comes to mind when you think of places veterans like Jesse Sommer and Scott Leslie might spend their morning.
Both men have served their country bravely. Sommer was a paratrooper in the U.S. Air Force, and Leslie was with the Army National Guard. Both men deployed overseas in places like Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
When thinking back on his active duty, Sommer explained, "I think a huge challenge to military service is that there are a lot of things you witness or participate in that you can't really share with people who weren't there."
Those stories can be left unsaid on the mat. Inside the 90-degree studio, you'll find a room full of local veterans who come together from the program known as Sweat with Vets.
Sommer said, "Basically, the people you may have never met before, but who you know may have experienced something that need not be expressed verbally, but you just know, and that's really comforting."
Leslie added, "Those 60 minutes on the mat is an incredibly peaceful time that allows you to connect with yourself. And really remove yourself from all the noise. It's the most peaceful 60 or 90 minutes you'll have."
The program was started in 2022 by Leslie, who is the director of Veteran Services for Albany County. Thanks to the PFC Dwyer Peer to Peer grant secured by the county and the partnership with The Hot Yoga Spot, the classes are offered free of charge twice a week to veterans and their family or friends who are by their side supporting them.
"Yoga is a great way for any veteran or first responder to heal themselves. They can find peace on the mat," Leslie said.
The owner of the Hot Yoga Spot, Jessica Fuller, explained, "Really, it is designed to channel thoughts inward to focus on every single part of your body, breath and mind, and how they can work as one."
The grounded lessons provide a different kind of physical and mental challenge.
"Forget the things that can be forgotten; focus on the things that are important. That's really the lesson that yoga can introduce you to," Sommer said.
The gentle poses and focus on breath helping take the lessons on the mat into everyday life. "When you are on the mat, that's where you are. And you have to fight for that. You have to struggle to be present, to lock everything out," Sommer added.
If you are a veteran in Albany County and would like to find out more information about classes and locations, visit The Hot Yoga Spot online.
The program has now expanded to an additional location in Rensselaer County.
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